During a relaxer, if the back-of-comb test shows a minimal indentation or the curl pattern reverts, what is required?

• A. Additional smoothing required
• B. Stop processing
• C. Rinse only
• D. Recolor

Answer: (A)

The back-of-comb test is used to judge whether the relaxer has finished processing and the curl pattern has been fully released. When you see a minimal indentation or the curls start to revert, it means the chemical hasn’t yet done enough work to relax the strand. In this situation, you need additional smoothing and additional processing time so the relaxer can continue breaking the disulfide bonds and straighten the hair. After applying more smoothing, you would recheck with the back-of-comb test to confirm the hair is now fully relaxed. Rinsing only would stop processing before it’s complete, and recoloring isn’t related to finishing the relaxer treatment. So the correct action is to continue with additional smoothing to finish processing.